How to choose the Right Chestnut Sorting Machine: Traditional Color Sorter vs. AI Chestnut Sorter

Chestnut processors today face a key question:
Is the traditional color sorter still enough?

While color sorting machines have been widely used in the chestnut industry for years, many factories are now realizing their limitations — especially when dealing with cracks, mold, inner rot, and mixed product grades.

In this article, we explain how AI-powered sorting works differently, and why more processors are switching to intelligent solutions.

How Traditional Color Sorters Work

Most traditional machines use cameras to detect color differences and shape patterns. They are often trained using manually labeled images — meaning a technician teaches the machine:
“This is a good chestnut.”
“This one has a crack.”
“This one is moldy.”

Based on this training, the sorter uses threshold rules to separate chestnuts by defect type or color.

Common setup:
To achieve full sorting, factories often need to combine multiple machines — for example:

• 1 machine for size grading

• 1 for color sorting

• 1 for shape or crack detection

⚠️ Problems appear when:

• A new defect appears that wasn't labeled before

• Cracks are small or hidden under shadows

• The defect color is similar to the normal shell

• Internal rot can't be seen from outside

How AI Chestnut Sorters Work (Deep Learning Inside)

Our smart chestnut sorting machine uses a deep learning model — trained not by fixed labels, but by learning from thousands of real defect examples.

Instead of just saying "this pixel is darker," the machine learns what a crack or a dried fruit or an internal rotten kernel looks like from 360 degrees.

Key differences:

Real Pain Points We Solve

With our AI-powered chestnut sorter, you can:

1. Catch more defects, with higher precision
   → Cracks, mold, sun-dried fruit, even peeled kernels with internal discoloration

2. Sort by product category in one pass
   → For example:

   • Large, medium, small good nuts

   • Cracked nuts

   • Dried nuts

   • Internal defected kernels
     → All from one machine, up to 8 separate exits

3. Reduce machine count and manual work
   → No need for multiple color sorters + graders + visual inspectors

4. Handle more volume with better quality
   → Especially useful for export-grade or frozen chestnut lines

Suggested Image: Side-by-side illustration of two sorting setups

• Left: multiple traditional machines with labeled arrows (size, color, crack)

• Right: one AI sorter handling all in one line

Use Case: Upgrading from Traditional to AI Sorting

A processor in Italy previously used two traditional color sorters and one manual inspection station.
They faced issues with:

• Overlooked internal defects

• High labor cost

• Product mixing (cracked and good nuts)

After switching to our 8-exit AI chestnut sorter:

• Crack detection accuracy improved by 3x

• Manual sorting team reduced by 70%

• Consistent export quality output achieved

Is It Time to Upgrade?

If your current sorter:

• Misses defects

• Needs frequent manual adjustment

• Requires multiple machines to acheive the effect you need

Then you may be spending more than you should — in both time and product loss.

With AI-based 360-degree inspection, our smart chestnut sorter offers:

✔️ Higher accuracy
✔️ Fewer machines
✔️ Faster ROI
✔️ Easier operation